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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · degree · bank · pop · file · leaves · staff · object

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. file — a line of people
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. file — a tool
  7. degree — from a university
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pop — music
  10. object — a thing
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. object — to protest
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. staff — employees
  18. file — a document
  19. object — an aim
  20. staff — employees
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bank — of a river
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com